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Super Bowl commercials 2014: The best, the worst and the odd

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At $4 million a pop, there's always a heavy expectation put upon the highly-viewed spots, which often debut days before the Super Bowl. In addition to the ad time, throw million dollar production costs into the mix and it's no wonder the stakes are so high.

At $4 million a pop, there's always a heavy expectation put upon the highly-viewed spots, which often debut days before the Super Bowl. In addition to the ad time, throw million dollar production costs into the mix and it's no wonder the stakes are so high. After all, it's reasonable to say that a great commercial can and will elevate a brand tremendously.

But what about those groan-worthy commercials that make you utter, "What were they thinking?" We've all thought that and for four million smackeroos, some of these companies should have raised the bar. Some should have known better.

In recent years, the SoBe Life Water ad from 2008 comes to mind as a truly bizarre spot. Then there was Cash4Gold's ad featuring Ed McMahon and MC Hammer which was perhaps the biggest 'HUH??' heard round the world.

So now that the game is over, let's take a few minutes and play armchair critic for a bit. For better or worse, let's discuss what worked, what didn't and what just had us cocking our heads like that cute Budweiser puppy.

THE GOOD

Seinfeld: You couldn't watch TV in the nineties and not be bombarded with water-cooler references from one of the most beloved sitcoms in history and Crackle's Super Bowl ad for Jerry Seinfeld's web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" reunited him with best friend George Constanza (New Jersey native Jason Alexander) and Newman (Wayne Knight). I dare anyone to watch it and not feel nostalgic. It's that simple.

Jaguar: How could "Rendezvous" not be on everyone's favorites list? The budget is all over the screen and the star power is inter-stellar. Directed by "The King's Speech" helmer Tom Hooper we see Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong giving it their all to look like the perfect British Bond-ish villain. Oh yeah, there's also a an F-Type Jaguar coupe in the commercial. Tons of fun.

Budweiser: The puppy. Yes, yes, yes... How could we NOT put that damned puppy on this list. If one thing American companies like Anheuser-Busch and General Motors know how to do, its pull at the heartstrings and "Puppy Love" made a nation cry on Super Bowl Sunday - even the manliest of men wearing those overpriced replica jerseys were teary. Admit it.

Volkswagen: If you can bet on one thing every Super Bowl, it's that VW will consistently bring their A-Game and "Wings" was absolutely hilarious not only for the barrage of laughs throughout but for that LAST gag. Genius.

Eighties explosion: If Crackle can make us long for nineties TV, then Radio Shack can have us longing for the days of "Miami Vice," "Back to the Future" and hair metal. Play spot the cameo in this kitschy commercial that probably took most of the audience by surprise on how good it was. Nostalgia, if done properly, works almost as well as puppies and soldiers. This is proof.

THE BAD

SodaStream: The Israeli soda company SodaStream attempted to dump Scarlett Johansson into their game day ad, have her suck on a straw, vamp a bit and expect that to be enough. As lovely as she is, it wasn't. It fell flat.

Beats: Wow, this ad for Beats Music Service featuring Ellen DeGeneres was excruciating. Again, why are these accomplished ad agencies expecting celebrities to do most of the groundwork when, in essence, this spot weird concept was flat from the start.

Ford: Starting to sound a bit like a broken record here but this ad featuring the usually-funny Rob Riggle and James Franco could have been shorter (yes, I get that it was supposed to be long), funnier and dare I say, smarter. To say this was an embarrassment to car ads would be a major understatement.

Bud Light: Oh, Anheuser-Busch... For every great Budweiser spot, we have to endure Bud Light commercials like "Epic Night." Even though it ranked high on Hulu's Top Super Bowl Ads list, the whole concept of the 'Bro' being kidnapped by an attractive lady was downright silly. Throwing in those bizarre cameos by actors Don Cheadle and Arnold Schwarzenegger only made it more of a head-scratcher. Who's with me?

THE NOTABLES

Kia: I know "The Truth" probably will make some Top 10 lists and that seeing the usually-stoic Morpheus singing was supposed to be funny but I dunno, it lost me. For me, this felt funnier when "The Matrix" character was deadpan.

Hyundai: I suppose that many won't think that the spot for "Dad's Sixth Sense" was all that groundbreaking, but try asking the parents of any little boy if the spot below didn't resonate with them. I loved it. Case closed.

Make it stop: I can't decide which spot was the more humdrum or forgettable: Heinz's "Hum" or Carmax's "Slow Clap." That's $8 million at work for ya, folks...

Cheerios: I know it may have lacked the razzle-dazzle of most of the other spots but the General Mills spot "Gracie" was as sweet as it gets. And Kudos to the food company for standing their ground by bringing back the interracial family who made their debut during last year's game, amid haters.

Sonos: The speaker company's "Face Off" spot which pretty much made sound visible by color was indeed breathtaking but kind of perplexing that it was Hulu's fifth spot overall. That's huge.

Did we forget any? Let us know in the comments below what you thought and feel free to take our poll.